Rap Muzack

For the most part, when asked what I listen to, I typically list things off like, “Stars,” “Sufjan Stevens,” “She and Him,” or “Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.” However, a semi-secret love beats within my heart for the beautiful nuances of mainstream rap.

Aside from being catchy earworms of songs, they [mostly] have a totally amazing wordplay. I know, I know. Some of the songs are total busts, and you can find good wordplay in a lot of other music, too, but hear me out: rap and hip hop songs often include references to other songs – both by the artist singing and their peers – that is gone from a lot of other music today, but totally reminiscent of things like Epic Poetry and Ancient Classical Literature. Not to mention all of the really fantastic similes and metaphors, like:

“Get lost like change in the sofa.”

“I got more records than the KGB.”

“Brain so good I coulda sworn she went to college.”

“He’s so sweet, I wanna like the wrapper (So I let her lick the rapper)”

This is something my boyfriend makes fun of me for all the time (“Anyone could think of those!”), but in my opinion, they’re the same as minimalist art, or abstract expressionism: yeah, anyone COULD have done it. But that one person actually took the idea and made it reality, and that’s what counts.

I’ll leave you with my current rap obsession. Listen for this line: “Time heals all things but heels hurt to walk in, but they match the clutch that you keep your lip gloss in.”